Illuminated display apparatus.



F. 0. BOWDI-DGE & P. c. McMULLEN.

ILLUMINATED DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FlLED JULY 28, I916 Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

& m i I? W WW barren sra'rns arana rrcia.

FREDERICK c. owmnen Annrnnsron c. MeMULLnN, or BANY, new YORK.

ILLUMINAI'ED DISPLAY APPARATUS;

I Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Sept. a, an.

Application filed July 28, 1916. Serial No. 111,795.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK C. Bow- DIDGE and PRESTON C. MoMULLnN, FRED- ERICK C. Bownmcn a subject of King George V of Great Britain, and PRESTON C. Mo- MULLEN a citizen of the United States of America, each residing at the city of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Display Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to illuminated display apparatus, and the object of our invention is to provide a means operated by electricity for not only displaying a picture, but also for displaying it in such a way as to cause the picture to appear to be in motion; together with such other elements and combinations as are hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

e accomplish these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a piece of metal showing the manner of cutting out the spiral strip.

Similar letters refer to similar throughout the several views. I

In a box or frame, A, we place a motor, B, and one or more electric lamps, C. To the motor we secure one end of a spiral strip, 1), the other end being secured to a spindle, E, which is adapted to rotate in a suitable boss, F, attached to one end, a, of the boX or frame, so arranged and connected up that the, operation of the motor causes the spiral strip, D, to be rotated. The electricity is conducted to the motor and to the lamps by means of a cable, G. In the front of the box or frame, A, we insert a glass, H, upon which we paint, or otherwise depict, a sign, picture or design, in this case a flag, J. The rest of the glass which shows after it has been placed in position in the box we preferably make opaque, as shown at K, so that the light given off by the electric lamps will illuminate the parts to be displayed.

In order to cause the picture to appear to be in m t on, W pa it, as i sh wn n parts unaintain the width the case of the flag, as waving, and when the glass, H, is placed in position in the box and the motor is started, the rotation of the spiral strip between the lamp and the picture will cause a reflection of the rotated spiral to be projected onto the picture which causes the picture, the flag, to appear to be waving continuously from the staff.

In order to construct the spiral in an economical and'satisfactory manner, we may take a piece of tin or other thin substance and cut it in the form of a spiral, as shown in Fig. 2, beginning at a distance from the circumference, L, sufficient to give the desired width of the spiral as at M, and then cut spirally, maintaining the desired width until we reach the point, N, which is as near the center of the spiral as it could be cut and desired of the strip. The centrally disposed portion, 0, forms an end of the spiral which may be attached to the motor.

The spiral is drawn out lengthwise, one end, 0, thereof being secured to the motor as shown in Fig. 1, the other end secured to the spindle, E, which is mounted in the boss, F, and 111 this position it tends to act as a governor or regulator for the motor.

lVhere we have referred to picture in the specification and claims we mean to include any design, words, emblem or device capable of being displayed.

lVe do not limit ourselves to this construction of spiral and simply refer to it as a very convenient and economical way of constructing it; nor do we limit ourselves to the number of lamps in the box or frame, or to the construction of a box, since all that is neces sary is to mount the lamps behind the picture and cause a reflection of a rotated spiral to be projected upon it.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A regulator for a motor and means for causing an optical illusion in an illuminating sign, comprising a spiral strip cut from a thin metallic disk in the form of a spiral; the centrally disposed portion forming an end of the spiral adapted to be attached to a motor; the spiral drawn out lengthwise and the end, opposite that Secured to the In testimony whereof We have affixed our slgnatures in presence of two Witnesses.

FREDERICK C. BOWDIDGE. PRESTON O. MGMULLEN.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK W; CAMERON, BEULAH CABLE.

motor, fastened to a spindle; a motor; a spindle; a boss in which the spindle is mounted; a frame carrying said boss; a transparent plate With a picture thereon placed in the frame; and an electric lamp Within the frame, said spiral strip being between the lamp and the transparent plate, substantially as described.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

